As you know I'm now writing for the Chicago Baseball Museum but the mods at WSI are allowing me to post the link to my stories that appear at that location.

I've got a revised and updated interview with former Sox 20 game winner Ray Herbert up now.

I first spoke with Ray in depth in June 2004 and stayed in touch but never really took the time to see how he's doing and his thoughts on baseball today. So I called him recently and got his thoughts on those areas.

Great interview, Lip. When you look back at pitchers the Sox acquired from other teams like Bob Shaw, Turk Lown, Ray Herbert and Juan Pizzaro and see how well they did here. you have to think that Ray Berres was just an outstanding pitching coach and Al Lopez was a great handler of pitchers.

I remember the 1962 season very well as that was the year I was a vendor. Saw many of Herbert's wins that year. Went to a Sat afternoon game in mid August, got in free but didn't feel like vending that day and watched Herbert beat the Tigers 2-0, went all nine innings allowing 3 hits.

PS Sox had went 85-77 that year which was their worst year since I started following them in earnest in 1954 but one of the best games I ever saw was the last Friday night home game of the season when the Sox scored 6 runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Yankees 7-6. IIRC the winning hit was a by a guy named Deacon Jones.

__________________Coming up to bat for our White Sox is the Mighty Mite, Nelson Fox.

Hansen was a very good fielder and had a couple years when he drove in 65 runs. He hit 20 homers in 64 which was huge for a Shortstop in those days. I think he hurt his back in 65 and was never the same.

Hansen was a very good fielder and had a couple years when he drove in 65 runs. He hit 20 homers in 64 which was huge for a Shortstop in those days. I think he hurt his back in 65 and was never the same.

No doubt about it, Aparicio was one of the greatest. That being said the trade that brought us Hansen, Ward, Wilhelm and Nicholson for Aparicio and Al Smith after the 62 season was a pretty good trade and helped us average almost 96 wins a year for the 3 years following the trade. We had a down year in 66 with only 83 wins but came back and almost won the AL pennant with 89 wins in 67.

No doubt about it, Aparicio was one of the greatest. That being said the trade that brought us Hansen, Ward, Wilhelm and Nicholson for Aparicio and Al Smith after the 62 season was a pretty good trade and helped us average almost 96 wins a year for the 3 years following the trade. We had a down year in 66 with only 83 wins but came back and almost won the AL pennant with 89 wins in 67.

Great interview, Lip. When you look back at pitchers the Sox acquired from other teams like Bob Shaw, Turk Lown, Ray Herbert and Juan Pizzaro and see how well they did here. you have to think that Ray Berres was just an outstanding pitching coach and Al Lopez was a great handler of pitchers.

The frozen balls, high grass and 360 ft down the lines probably didn't hurt either.

The frozen balls, high grass and 360 ft down the lines probably didn't hurt either.

It was 352 down the lines but the power alleys were 385 even though the markers said 375.
Old Comiskey was for sure a pitchers park but Berres and Lopez were still the best handlers of pitchers I've ever seen.

It was 352 down the lines but the power alleys were 385 even though the markers said 375.
Old Comiskey was for sure a pitchers park but Berres and Lopez were still the best handlers of pitchers I've ever seen.

And so was the Conundrum of the Sox vs Yankees rivalry. Opposing pitchers that made a mistake and those long drives that died in Comiskey ended up rattling seat backs in "The House That Ruth Built"...

Sox always had great pitching...

BK59

__________________
Big Klu says... "When you step in the box you go to war"..